Whole Child Development
In recent years, Finland has been consistently at the top of worldwide rankings by nation for 15 year-old academic performance. They’re obviously doing something right. And in my biased informed opinion, if we want to know why their 15 year-olds are so bright, we need to look not only at what they’re doing in high school, but also (and perhaps more so) at what they’re doing in their early education programs.
In recent years, Finland has been consistently at the top of worldwide rankings by nation for 15 year-old academic performance. They’re obviously doing something right. And in my biased informed opinion, if we want to know why their 15 year-olds are so bright, we need to look not only at what they’re doing in high school, but also (and perhaps more so) at what they’re doing in their early education programs.
I really do love graphing with preschoolers. It makes math concepts like numeracy, 1-to-1 ratio (counting one number for one item), comparing numbers, and sorting objects very visual and hands-on. Graphing does not have to be complicated. We’re not talking parabolas here, just simple T charts will do.
Just recently I did a sink or float activity (because no matter how many times we do it, my boys still think that 20 pound pumpkins will sink) and I used the back of the door for our graph. Just a door and some painter’s tape. Voila! A graph! [Read more…]
If you’re looking for some ways to make this week memorable for your little ones, try serving up some pumpkin! You may want to use pumpkin as an ingredient (as in Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread) or use the pumpkin as the dish! Here are five ways to serve up some fun, originally published on Halloween of last year!
It started quite simply really. Showing my son a few educational videos I found online. Then some educational games. Now my oldest son has become rather adept at using the computer to find his favorite games and sites, and would gladly play all day long if he were allowed. I’m sure there are some benefits to his new-found love: he learns some educational concepts and has some technology proficiency I suppose. He may even have more computer know-how than his grandmother. But I just don’t like letting him have too much computer time. (Ironic I know, given the fact that I probably spend more time on the computer than anyone else in the house.)
I spent the weekend working on an eBook on Positive Guidance that I hope to have ready to share with you soon! I’d love to tell you the title, but I’m still a bit stumped on that. Do I go with practical and descriptive, or catchy and literary? Roll into that the challenge of summing up so much information with just a few words. I find it challenging!
We went on one of my favorite fall outings today! Armed with a great book, some craft supplies, and a pile of snacks, we headed up the canyon near our house to explore fall in one of its best displays!
I’m up in Idaho running a half marathon today! While I’m out pounding the pavement, my wandering mind might reflect back on these interesting posts I read this week:
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